1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a remote controlled self-loading truck having a tilt bed equipped with a bed mounted hoist and having fold-down sides, and to such a tilt bed for mounting on standard truck chassis, or on the trailer chassis of standard semi-tractor-truck units. The tilt bed and bed mounted hoist are especially adapted to rear end loading for transport of elongated material such as logs, structural iron, piping, and the like, which is ordinarily difficult to load. Because the hoist functions through a pivoting loader boom, other materials can be loaded over the side. Although not essential, by the addition of rear ramps, such as palletized materials, skid mounted equipment, wheeled equipment, and the like, may be more readily loaded from the rear.
2. The Prior Art
McIntyre U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,658 shows one form of tilting bed vehicle having a bed mounted winch. However, this vehicle is for rear loading only and is primarily designed so that the rear end of the bed can be fully lowered onto the ground surface without resorting either to an impractical loading angle or an excessively rearwardly extending bed, with their attendant problems. Extensive modification of the existing frame or chassis of the supporting vehicle is required so as to provide relatively pivotable front and rear frame sections.
Milner U.S. Pat. No. 2,351,829 shows a tiltable semi-trailer bed with associated winch means. However, the winch mechanism remains on the fixed portion of the trailer frame.